Posted in Writing, tagged writing, creativity, inspiration, Writers, Thoughts, advice, #365Ways, art, #365Ways2026 on October 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” — David Bowie
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, community building, creativity, inspiration, librarians, libraries, unsung heroes on October 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »
You probably know that it’s the 250th anniversary of the United States, but did you know that this year is also the 150th anniversary of the modern American library system? I didn’t!
To mark the occasion, and to get a better understanding of what life is like for librarians today, reporters went to the annual American Library Association conference in Chicago this summer and interviewed almost 50 librarians about their work. What is it like to be a librarian in America today?
Librarians Discuss the Challenges and Triumphs of Running a Library Today
A lot has changed since the American Library Association was established in 1876 — even just over the past decade. The library has gone from a building full of books to arguably the most versatile civic center in any community lucky enough to have one… But most of all, they want you to know what the library really is: a safe place for people to gather around books, ideas and one another.
The work these often under-appreciated folks do touches so many communities in so many positive ways. Which reminds me, it’s about time to donate to my local library again!
“The misconception about libraries to me is that they feel irrelevant because we’re in a digital information age, but I would say they’re more relevant now than ever before because we’re conflating content with information and information with knowledge.” — Sam Helmick, Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City Public Library
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, news, that dog, Thoughts, translating emotions, Writers, writing on September 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
As election season in the US ramps up, chaos continues around the world, and opening news and social media sites exposes you to a negatively incentivized firehose of information, what’s a creative to do?
These writers have Ideas.
21.37: Barrier Breaking: The World Is on Fire | Writing Excuses
“How do you continue to work? How do you survive? How do you be a person when everything around you is on fire without turning into the dog that says everything is fine?”
My day job involves a lot of news, so this is relevant for me. My usual approach is to try to write first thing in the morning, before I log on. It doesn’t always work but it helps.
(Let me say that elections and current events are important, obviously! I’m very much not recommending that you tune out completely, but I am saying that finding ways to give yourself some space for both creativity and news-related sanity is a good thing. Also, vote!)
While we’re at it, how can you translate your feelings onto the page in ways that help develop your characters and story?
21.39: Write What You Feel | Writing Excuses
The next time you’re actually experiencing a big emotion, this is how you can tell you’re a writer, is that you’re gonna sit there and go, can I use this? But think about like, what are your muscles doing?
What is your heart rate doing?
When you think back to that emotion, how does the temperature, that moment when the room is suddenly, you’re blazing hot or you’re suddenly cold, those people record those because that’s a thing you experience. How sensitive do you become to sound or touch or lights? What is your breath doing?
And then like your thoughts, what are you paying attention to? Do your thoughts feel smooth or are they skipping around? How is your memory attached to this?
I think all those somatic things are really, really wonderful.
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #MacFellow, art, awards, constructive creativity, creativity, Genius Awards, inspiration, MacArthur Fellows on September 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The 2026 MacArthur Fellows have been announced, and this year’s class is an interesting mix. From climate scientists to fiction writers, historians to chemists and more, the list provides a window into just some of the work being done by smart, enthusiastic, and creative people today.
These Fellows have found ways to capture some of the most important issues of our time, and it’s great to see such varied examples of constructive creativity, and to think of all the other people out there doing good work. Let’s hear it for flashes of genius!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, inspiration, life, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, action, art, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, writing on September 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Everything depends on the individual human being, regardless of how small a number of like-minded people there is, and everything depends on each person, through action and not mere words, creatively making the meaning of life a reality in his or her own being.” — Viktor Frankl
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Thoughts, unique on September 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“No one is better than you, because no one else is you.” — Megan Bannen, The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam
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Posted in Entertainment, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Fiction, television, Thoughts, writing on September 17, 2026| 1 Comment »
Today I’m thinking about the last two minutes of the Reacher season 4 finale. I won’t spoil it for anyone, but Jesus. I’m going to go donate to our local food bank and think about the contribution of fiction to the many dimensions of empathy.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, fiction editors, Thoughts, Writers, writing, writing advice on September 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Some writing advice from agents, via Chuck Sambuchino:
What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents
Just as important as knowing how to begin your novel is knowing what not to do.
In case you’re interested in some professional perspectives!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts, write anyway, Writers, writing on September 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.” — Madeleine L’Engle
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